Williamstown Sending Water Street Zoning Changes To Voters
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After two hours of debate Tuesday, the board could only agree on four ideas to rejuvenate the once-envisioned business sector. Building Inspector Mike Card, Town Planner Andrew Groff and Planning Board member Anne McCallum will now take those ideas and set out a proposal for town meeting.
"The question is what do we want Water Street to look like," McCallum said.
McCallum presented Tuesday one proposal based on Lenox's downtown but the ideas grew too complicated, bred disagreement and the board nearly pushed a decision off for another year.
However, afraid to lose the progress it made, the board decided to forge ahead with what it could agree on; exactly how those ideas make a warrant article will be decided during the week.
"The board needs to a do a lot of work to tell us what it wants," Card said. "Zoning is like a mobile; you touch one thing and it changes everything."
After opening a Pandora's box of zoning regulations, the board nearly postponed the change for another year. Card said there was not enough information and board member Chris Winters said he did not want to bring a "half-baked" plan to the voters. Planning Board Chairman Pat Dunlavey talked the group into starting small and simple.
"I think there is a lot of value to what Anne [McCallum] has brought us and I really don't want to lose it," Dunlavey said. "I don't want to lose the progress we made."
The board still has time to refine the proposal before it holds a public hearing on March 21 and have the warrant ready by March 28. The board will present its simpler proposal to the Selectmen on Monday.
The proposal to be presented will be based on the following consensual ideas.
The board agreed that a basic concept of rejuvenating the street is to allow residential housing on the first floor of buildings. However, the board is tentative about what type of residences. Residential is not currently allowed on the first floor of Water Street buildings unless grandfathered in.
McCallum's proposal called for first-floor residences to be allowed but not single-family homes. The owner would have to host an apartment or a business.
Simply allowing residences would give local attorney Jamie Art exactly what he has been advocating. Art has a client who owns a former single-family home on Water Street that was later turned into a business. Since it conformed to bylaws it can no longer revert back to a single-family home. Art claims his client has not received any interest from prospective buyers for a business, but he has for a home.
"I think that is a step in the right direction but it isn't the best for the town," Art said of McCallum's proposal. "To say it needs to be chopped up, it seems like a hoop-jumping exercise."
However, the board does not want single-family homes because it believes it would attract second-home owners, increase complaints about businesses and destroy the liveliness a business sector needs.
Changing a Current Building into a Single-Family Home to be Disallowed
Card said he is not yet sure what bylaw changes will reflect both allowing residential living on the first floor while disallowing current buildings to revert to single-family homes.
The board is fearful the entire street may switch to a residential status and to combat that, the board agreed that current businesses should stay businesses.
"Our idea of a lively shopping street is not even close to what we have now," McCallum said.
McCallum's proposal allowed for new two-family buildings and other multifamilies by special permit only and allowed single-families to be converted to two-families free and clear.
Dunlavey said he wanted single-family homes to be allowed by special permit as well but the board could not come to a consensus.
"I think we have to recognize that the current single-family homes are part of the landscape and I don't want to lose them," Dunlavey said. "There should be a way people can convert them back to the way it used to be."
Front of Upper Water Street Properties Must be Business
The northern section of Water Street is clearly commercial and the board adopted McCallum's proposal to keep the lots from the former town garage site northward with business frontage. An apartment can be on the first floor but the first 50 feet of the property needs to be business frontage.
Though the board did debate the number of feet, it consented easily that the move achieves the board's goal.
Charles Fox, who owns a Water Street property, added that the board should ensure at least some parking on the northern end if a thriving business sector is wanted.
Allow Conversion From Single-family to Multifamily by Special Permit
Currently no multifamily housing is allowed but the board hopes to increase pedestrian density to give businesses an incentive. Allowing a single-family home to be converted to apartments could help achieve that.
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